This invention relates to a machine for making, storing and dispensing yogurt.
The invention addresses the field of the production, storage and dispensing of artisanal yogurt and similar dairy products in commercial establishments such as yogurt parlors and stalls, patisseries and the like, where artisanally made plain yogurt, with or without toppings or additional ingredients, are served to consumers.
In this context, conventional machines for making artisanal yogurt are known. These include milk pasteurizing machines, fermentation devices for inoculated milk and refrigerating machines for keeping the yogurt.
These conventional machines allow artisanal yogurt to be made according to a production cycle defined by a predetermined sequence of operating steps, as described below.
First of all, the milk from which the yogurt will be made is poured by an operator into a tank of the pasteurizing machine. The pasteurizing machine cooks the milk contained in the tank in a water bath to a defined pasteurization temperature for predetermined lengths of time.
Once the milk has been pasteurized, the milk is cooled in the tank and then inoculated with a defined quantity of milk ferments, usually in proportion to the capacity of the tank. More specifically, the operator adds the milk ferments in the cooled milk using a dosing system.
Next, the operator transfers the pasteurized, cooled and inoculated ilk from the pasteurizing machine to a fermentation tank of the fermentation device.
The fermentation tank reaches a defined fermentation temperature and is maintained for a predetermined length of time in order to promote the growth and multiplication of the bacteria present in the milk ferments.
When fermentation is over, the fermented milk is cooled to a storage temperature, at which point the yogurt production cycle is finished.
At this point, the operator places the yogurt in specific refrigerating machines which keeps the yogurt at a defined storage temperature.
If necessary, additional ingredients or toppings can be added directly to the yogurt when it is served to the consumer.
The conventional machines described above have several disadvantages.
First of all, using a plurality of machines/devices for the yogurt production cycle necessarily involves the presence of an operator responsible for production, from pasteurization to obtainment of the finished yogurt, thus significantly raising the cost of labor added to the costs of the finished product.
Furthermore, using a plurality of machines/devices to make the yogurt is particularly disadvantageous in terms of the space needed for their installation in an artisan shop.